Self-funder support

Arrange your care as a self-funder

As you are self-funding your care, you have a choice about who arranges your care. You can still ask us to arrange your care for you.

Care provided by the Council

If you would like us to arrange your care, the first step is to ask us to request a needs assessment. This is so we can work with you to decide what care you need.

You can also ask us for a financial assessment to make sure you do not qualify for any help with costs.

When a relative or friend pays your extra care home costs

If your financial assessment shows you qualify for us to pay your care home fees, you will receive funds up to a maximum amount, known as the usual cost.

This is the standard amount we expect a care home that meets your needs to charge and we must show that at least one suitable care home is available at this cost.

Choosing a care home above usual cost

Any extra costs above the usual cost are called top-ups or additional payments.

Who pays top-ups

You must ask a relative, such as a child or a friend to pay any costs above the usual cost if you:

choose a care home that charges more than your allowance
decide on more expensive accommodation within a care home that offers usual cost accommodation

You cannot pay the extra care home costs yourself unless you are entering a deferred payment agreement and:

it has been agreed that you can add this additional cost to your agreement
your services are provided under Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983

You cannot pay yourself because your savings would reduce faster and you would need us to contribute more towards your care sooner than necessary.

If we cannot find you a suitable placement at a care home within the usual cost and place you in more expensive accommodation out of necessity rather than preference, you will not be asked to pay the top-up costs.

What someone making top-up payments should know

The person making the top-up payment on your behalf must understand that:

the amount they must pay could go up if the care home reviews its charges
your funding assistance payments will be regularly reviewed and may change, affecting the amount they must pay
top-up payments will be required for as long as you stay in that care home, which could be many years
if the payment is not made, or if circumstances change for the person paying and they can no longer afford to pay, you must move to accommodation that charges no more than the usual cost

How it works

Notify us of your chosen care home

If your needs assessment shows you need to move into a care home, we will discuss your options at your needs assessment appointment.

We will always aim to find you accommodation within the usual cost. Please let us know if you prefer to move into a care home that is above the usual cost and have someone willing to pay the top-up costs.

The details of the person who has agreed to pay your top-up will be given to the care home so they can be invoiced for the top-up amount. Payment should be made directly to the care home. The invoice will provide details of how to pay.

Ending top-up payments

If the person paying your top-up costs can no longer afford to pay, please contact your community wellbeing worker. You should also inform the residential home where you are staying.

Your community wellbeing officer will look at other options for you and may refer you for reassessment.

Your money and paying for your own care

We have built a calculator to help you to understand how long you will be required to fund your own care until you are eligible for local authority assistance. It only takes a few minutes to complete, and you can complete it for yourself, or on behalf of someone else.

Care funding calculator

If your savings are running out

If your savings are getting low, make sure you contact us around 12 months before you expect them to fall below £23,250. We will then reassess your finances and let you know if you will qualify for help with your care costs.

We will only provide funding (if you qualify) from the date you made contact with us - even if your savings dropped to £23,250 before that date.

Call Adult Social Care on 0300 126 3200 who will need to arrange a care needs assessment.